Introducing LG’s best smartphone to date!

It’s 2018 already, and a handful of mobile device makers are fighting it out to claim the top spot for the best Android phone out there. Not too long ago, LG introduced an update to their V20 smartphone, the V30, to quite a bit of fanfare. Since then, it’s won quite a few awards and garnered plenty of favorable reviews. Once again, the folks at Verizon were kind enough to loan us LG’s new flagship V30 smartphone for testing purposes. How does it fare against its competition and predecessor? Let’s find out in this LG V30 review.

LG V30 Review

As far as top-tier Android OS phones go, the LG V30 is similar to those from brands like Made by Google and Samsung. All three brands’ flagship phones utilize the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 processor, while other specifications (and dimensions) range between close to identical. With regard to the screen, both the V30 and Pixel 2 XL utilize pOLED (plastic OLED.) Plastic OLED allows for the display to be 0.5mm thinner then AMOLED, which is what appears on the Galaxy S8/8+ phones. To learn more about pOLED, check out these two articles on Android Authority and CNET.

LG V30 Design and Features

Like its V20 predecessor, the screen display on the V30 is a thing of beauty. This time around it comes with a pOLED screen. (See links above.) The near 6″ pOLED screen is QHD+ (2880 x 1440) with 538ppi. Screen protection has also stepped up by one from Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 to 5. The display, known as FullVision, has an 18:9 aspect ratio. If you want to watch something recorded in Dolby Vision (HDR) High Dynamic Range, the V30 can accommodate you.

Per a sub-Reddit, there’s been some discussion about burn-in issues with pOLED affecting both the Pixel 2 XL and the V30. Regarding the Pixel 2 XL, Google has resolved its issues thanks to software/firmware updates. If you’re encountering this burn-in problem, try at least one of two things. Both solutions require you to head to Settings. Scroll down to Display and reduce the Screen Timeout to a minute or less. Also from Display disable the Always-on display. The same goes for soft keys and screen notifications. FYI: Our V30 sample did not have any such burn-in issues.

Like the LG G6, the locations of the power and volume buttons are well placed. The volume buttons are located on the upper left, easily adjustable from your left thumb. The power button/fingerprint reader is on the back side. And speaking of the fingerprint scanner, it worked flawlessly. We never encountered an issue during setup or regular use.

Since the front and back sides are made from Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5, the handset is very slippery. The last thing you want to have happen is for the LG V30 to slide out of your hands and hit the ground or pavement. I’ve been there before, it sucks. We highly recommend purchasing a case from a brand like tech21 or Speck. Whatever you do, don’t use the LG V30 without a case with a grip.

The entire body has an ingress protection of 68 which offers a fair amount of water and dust resistance. Should you happen to drop this phone into the shallow end of a pool, you can relax. “The device is suitable for continuous immersion in water under 1.5 meters up to 30 minutes.” You can learn more about this and MIL-STD-810G testing on LG’s Quality page

The phone comes with two mics, one USB-C port, and one 3.5mm jack. If you’re going wireless for audio, the phone supports HD audio with LDAC, Qualcomm® AptX™, and AptX HD™ audio codecs.

The battery size is nearly unchanged (100 mAh greater) from its predecessor. At 3300 mAh, the V30’s battery has less capacity than that of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ or Google Pixel 2 XL. Unfortunately, it drains quicker too as mentioned above.

Like the V20, the V30’s internal storage is 64GB. If this isn’t enough, then look towards the V30+ with 128GB RAM. Photos and videos continue to be unlimited and get uploaded to Google Photos service should you choose so.

The V30’s Three Built-In Cameras

As seen from the specs comparison above, the rear camera sizes are greater than those of the Pixel 2 XL and Samsung Galaxy S8+ when it comes to megapixels. And where the LG V20 has 16 MP standard-angle and 8 MP wide-angle lenses, the new V30 has 16 MP standard-angle and 13 MP wide-angle lenses.

Also changed are the standard-angle lens aperture going from ƒ/1.8 to ƒ/1.6, and the wide-angle lens aperture going from ƒ/2.4 to ƒ/1.9.

The front camera size is unchanged at 5 MP, but the aperture has gone from ƒ/1.9 to ƒ/2.2. The field of view has changed going from 120°/83° to 90°/80°. You can still toggle the angle in the settings.

As with the G6, photo or video can be taken with either front or rear camera. As listed below, the rear camera comes in eight sizes, but the values have changed. With video, there are six options which fall into either 720P, 1080P, or 4K recording modes. All of these remain unchanged from the G6.

The dozen or so photo/video menu settings (Camera roll, HDR, Timer, etc.) remain the same too. There are changes to the Mode tab while the nine active view filters remain unchanged. Some of the included photos are presented with these filters. I suggest that when you’re next in a Verizon store, play around with the camera and all its functions.

The one thing I noticed when taking the same photo from the LG V30 and the G6, the color profile of the former was flatter whereas the latter had more color. There are arguments for and against each. Thankfully, mobile photo editors like Snapseed and Pixlr exist so you can color correct all you want. All the snowfall and museum photos presented in this post are uncorrected images. And if you’re wondering where the museum photos were captured, they were taken at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. The Georgia O’Keeffe and XYZT exhibitions are not to be missed.

One thing I love in particular about the V30 is its on-the-fly manual mode settings. You can select either rear camera, then adjust the white balance, exposure value, ISO, and shutter speed at will. There are even a color histogram and an auto-adjust button for added assistance.

As listed below, the front camera comes in four sizes and three video recording options.

It’s good to see that the lens distortion I noticed with the wide-angle lens of the G6 did not transfer to the V30. No longer is the upper right region of the image heavily distorted. Unfortunately, the wide-angle lens continues to bend an image. Adjusting the perspective within Adobe Bridge or mobile photo editors like Snapseed and Pixlr is a must to correct this bend.

The image quality produced from the standard-angle lens is close to that of the Google Pixel 2 XL. That’s a good thing as the latter is known to have the highest rated camera among all mobile phones.

A Few Things I Dislike

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, “I hate Google Assistant!”

My dislike of this voice assistant is not because of how well or poorly it works. My objection to it is because it’s always on. Thankfully you can disable it to a minimum or if necessary, completely.

Tired of hearing the phrase “OK Google?” You can disable this too. Want to take it to the next level? Disable the assistant entirely and go old school.

The flip side of a complete shutdown of Google Assistant is that you’ll miss out on activating any one of the seven services like Music, Home Control, News, My Day, Shopping list, Shortcuts, or Videos and Photos.

Take Music for instance. You’ve got options like Google Play Music, YouTube Music, Pandora, and Spotify. Want to play video? You can do so with Netflix, HBO NOW, CBS, or Viki, whatever that is. You just need to be signed in. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and I didn’t even touch on the other five services.

Battery life is an issue and a complaint from many reviewers. This can be alleviated as mentioned above.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the cracked front screen. As you can see, this sample unit has cracks in its front glass across the upper left corner. Oddly enough, only the glass is cracked, the metal frame in undamaged. I’m glad the sample unit came this way as I get to show you how sensitive the screens are without the use of protective case.

Final Thoughts

The LG V30 smartphone phone is a marginal step forward from the V20. The V20 was impressive when it was introduced 1.5 years ago. With the newer model, we see improvements in processing power, screen size, camera capabilities, download speed, sound, and more.

The V30 currently uses Android 7.1.2 Nougat and has Bluetooth 5 capability. We’ve been reliably informed that the V30 is undergoing beta testing with a small number of users (I don’t know how many) with Android 8.0 Oreo. It’s safe to say that users of the V30 should see an OS upgrade to Oreo before the spring.

When compared to the LG G6, a device which was considered top-tier in early 2017, the V30 outperformed it across the board.

With all of this said, this flagship smartphone from LG is a serious contender against other top-tier phones such as the Apple X, Google Pixel 2 XL, and Samsung Galaxy S8+ or Note 8. Minus its slippery frame and battery life issue, I for one loved this phone and can easily recommend to all our readers.

What do you think of this LG V30 review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

The LG V30 smartphone comes with a two-year limited end-user warranty. If you’re looking for the Setup and Support, it’s found here. Don’t hesitate to head over to the Verizon Wireless homepage to see their latest products and 3rd party accessories.

FTC Disclosure: Verizon provided Beantown LLC with one (1) LG V30 smartphone sample for review purposes. LG was not involved in this review whatsoever. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own and not a paid product ambassador for either brand.

It feels like yesterday when I published a review of the Moto Z Droid. In reality, it was nine months ago. Time sure does fly. Over the past two months, the folks at Lenovo (Motorola) have introduced Version 2.0 of their Moto Z family of phones. Within the Moto Z family, Verizon offers consumers the most choices with seven models including the new Moto Z2 Play and Moto Z2 Force Edition. And Lenovo continues to work with third-party companies like Hasselblad and JBL to produce complementary products called Moto Mods. I had the pleasure of testing the Moto Z2 Play for a few weeks. How does the Moto Z2 Play fare against its predecessor or family members? Let’s find out in this Moto Z2 Play review.

Motorola Moto Z2 Play Review

As far as mid-tier Android phones go, this model is like those from other well-known brands. All have similar specifications with regards to the screen, CPU, and GPU. When compared to its predecessor, the Moto Z Play, there are mostly internal improvements like processing power, but there are a few back steps. Height and width are virtually unchanged. The physical differences are in thickness and weight. The Moto Z2 Play is a full 1 mm thinner. The Super AMOLED screen size remains the same at 5.5 Inches.

Among reviewers, there’s been some discussion about the placement of the Moto Z2 Play’s power and volume buttons. For you left-handed users, this won’t matter one bit, but for you right-handed users, this is where a dispute arises. Many right-handed users won’t like how their thumb rests on the volume buttons. I would have preferred to have the power button up high, rather be in the third position. Anyhow, all of this discussion disappears when you use a case to protect your phone.

If you’re using a mobile phone holder, button placement is important. I use a Manfrotto mobile phone holder (and flexible tripod) with my mobile phones. This allows me to take better pictures and video of whatever interests me. Because you want to balance your phone, you’d place the holder along its center-line. With this mobile device, there’s no button interference.

Concerning the design, the aluminum chassis is slippery in my hands. The addition of a removable back panel shell adds some texture, but it isn’t enough. If you want to ensure the Moto Z2 Play stays in your hand, a protective case is a must.

There is one bonus by adding a Moto Style Shell, and that’s the wireless charging capability. Priced at $39.99, it’s 10 Watts of charging and works with Qi and PMA charging pads. Unfortunately, there are only two shell colors available.

Z2 Play Design and Features

Like its predecessor, the Super AMOLED screen display on the Moto Z2 Play is a thing of beauty. And again like its predecessor, the display contains Corning® Gorilla® Glass. The only thing missing from this phone is Shattershield™. If you want this feature, you’ll have to pay more as it’s only available on the Moto Z2 Force Droid.

The phone comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack and USB-C port. While I applaud this decision, there aren’t many headphones available with a USB-C connection just yet.

Speaking of charging, the battery size on the Moto Z2 Play is 3000 mAh. This is what you call a step back. You see, the Moto Z Play has a battery of 3510 mAh.

If you desire more battery life, you have three options. You can purchase one of two mods:

This mod will substantially provide extra battery life. They’ll also add weight and thickness to your device. The product has the added feature of being compatible with a wireless charging pad.

Storage and memory have stepped up nicely. With storage, the phone comes with either 32 or 64 GB on board with support up to 2 TB. Unfortunately, micro SD cards over 256 GB is are expensive. Like flagship mobile phones, this one incorporates memory of either 3 GB or 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM. See specs below.

Built-In Camera

If you didn’t notice from the specs comparison above, the rear camera size has decreased from 16 MP to 12 MP, but the aperture has increased to ƒ/1.7. This isn’t all bad news. How many of you were taking photos at 16 MP with the Moto Z Play? I certainly wasn’t, and part of my job description is to take photos for a living. The aperture on the front camera remains the same at 5 MP, but now has color correction dual LED flash.

Although we get laser autofocus, I don’t see optical image stabilization on the Moto Z2 Play. The latter feature appeals to many YouTube vloggers.

After activating the camera, in this case, the rear camera, touch the camera icon in the lower right corner of the screen. This action pulls up a menu consisting of the following: Photo, Video, Panorama, Slow motion, and Professional mode. The latter is most exciting. You can choose to take a photo right off the bat, or you can open any of the five manual settings: Scene, White Balance, Timer, ISO (100-3200) and Exposure (-2 to +2). By adjusting any of the five settings, you can perfect your skills in the art of mobile photography.

On the main camera screen, there are icons for switching to the front camera, Flash, and Timer. Swiping your finger to the left and right yield different results. When you initially swipe right, another menu appears. It’s in this menu where you can adjust such items as photo and video size, along with quick capture. Swiping left takes you to the images you just captured. No longer do you need to go into Photos (or Gallery) to see them. If you don’t like the picture the camera just captured, you can modify it or simply delete it. It’s a time saver for sure.

Moto Mods

What makes the Moto Z family of phones stand out from its peers–a little something Moto Mods, and it’s a big deal. Nearly two years ago, LG introduced the G5, their flagship phone at the time. It was a disaster! After spending millions of dollars launching the product with commercials starring actor Jason Statham, sales have been weak, to put it mildly. And the reviews weren’t much better. The biggest problem with LG’s design was that their G5 was modular. Who wants to take apart a phone, right?

For the Moto Z Droid review, I had the pleasure of playing around with Hasselblad.

The Hasselblad True Zoom camera is quite the exciting product. With its 10x optical zoom, you’ll be able to take better, clearer photographs than before. Just place it onto the back side, the True Zoom mod magnetically snaps on and comes to life. With this mod, you’ll be to take photos at 12 MP and video in 1080P at 30 fps.

With the Hasselblad True Zoom camera mod on the Moto Z2 Play, you have the option to receive two images, JPEG and DNG, a RAW format. This added functionality comes in handy when you’re processing images in Adobe’s Photoshop. The downside to having this mod is that it doubles the size and weight of your Moto Z2 phone.

Lenovo provides a convenient carrying case for the phone and camera. It’s not only easy to carry around by hand, but it fits nicely into a back pocket, purse, or satchel (man purse.)

After spending $400 on the Moto Z2 Play, the purchase of a Hasselblad True Zoom camera mod for $299 (or less) is something you’ll have to ponder. My suggestion is to try out the camera mod at your local Verizon store, then decide.

Final Thoughts

The Moto Z2 Play is a minor step to the Moto Z Play. There are slight camera improvements, but a drop in battery size, thus life. Plus, the missing back panel shell is a problem I found difficult to overlook on either Play model. Even with this said, it’s still a contender for your dollars against other mid-tier mobile phones that use Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 series processors. Plus, no other brand has modular devices like the Moto Z2 family.

While the Moto Z2 Play comes with some unnecessary bloatware, it’s easily removable. Oddly enough, the phone doesn’t come with Google Now Launcher pre-installed. Adding this should be one of the first things you do when activating this phone.

What do you think of this Motorola Moto Z2 Play review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

Last weekend the unthinkable happened. As I was entering my car ready to depart the city, my Moto X Pure mobile phone had other plans. As I turned right to open the driver’s side door, my phone went left, flew out of my hand, and came face-to-face with the sidewalk. The Moto X’s screen has a crack problem greater than the pavement it struck. RIP good friend; you were a great phone while you lasted. But there is an upside to this story. The folks at Verizon were kind enough to loan me the new LG G6 for review. Overnight, my mindset had changed. I went from being a product reviewer to a shopper and future buyer of a new mobile phone, possibly the one I had been reviewing. For over a month, I had the pleasure of testing LG’s flagship mobile phone, and what a pleasure it was. So without further delay, let’s take a closer look in this LG G6 review.

Cons:
• Average battery life of 3300 mAh
• While it’s IP68 rated, it’s not waterproof
• Very slippery when held with a bare hand
• Texting not as good as other phones/carriers
• ROM limited to 32 GB, 64 GB not available

LG G6 Review – Design and Features

While I’m saddened by the loss of my Moto X Pure, at least I wasn’t carrying the LG G6 with me that night.

As far as top-tier phones go, this model is very similar to those currently available from Google, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony. All have top (or near top) of the line specifications with regards to the camera, screen, CPU, and GPU. When compared to its predecessor, the LG G5, there are nothing but design improvements. The G6 is shorter in both height and width, but a hair thicker in depth. We’re talking differences from 0.07″ down to 0.01″. Dimensional changes like these are barely noticeable by sight.

If you recall, the G5 has a modular design which consumers and reviewers disliked. The screen size has increased from 5.3″ to 5.7″, which is very noticeable. How does the LG G6 compare against its predecessors?

Among reviewers, there’s been some discussion about the placement of the G6’s power and volume buttons. For you right-handed users, the issue regarding the volume buttons won’t matter one bit. For you left-handed users, this is where a problem arises.

The placement of the volume buttons on the upper left is an excellent choice, especially from those of us who happen to be right-handed. Now, the index finger can rest firmly on the chassis while your thumb can adjust the volume. This placement allows for better grip of the phone.

The power button remains on the backside directly beneath the two cameras. While I haven’t completely gotten used to its location, I have accepted it. It’ll continue to grow on me.Most, if not all reviewers, have failed to view button locations in the following way. I use a Manfrotto TwistGrip smartphone clamp and Compact Action tripod with this phone. These devices allow me to take better pictures and video of nearly anything. Because you want to balance your phone, place the clamp along the center-line of your phone. Earlier mobile phones like the Moto X Pure have their volume buttons in the way, hence the problem. With the LG G6, there’s no button interference; thus one of my biggest headaches disappears as the clamp correctly grabs the phone.

Concerning the design, the chassis is too slippery in my hands. The back panel, like the sides, is without texture. If you want to ensure the LG G6 stays in your hand, a protective case is a must. I recommend the Warrior Case from Trident Case and the Presidio Grip from Speck.

More Design and Features

The display on the LG G6 is a thing of beauty. The Quad HD+ resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels and 564 ppi is amazing. The display (known as FullVision) has an 18:9 aspect ratio. If you want to watch something recorded in Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range, the G6 can accommodate you.

Like it’s predecessors, the display contains Corning® Gorilla® Glass. The G6 has a front screen and rear camera made of Gorilla® Glass 3 while the backside has Gorilla® Glass 5. The G6 doesn’t have Shattershield™. If you want this feature, you’ll have to look at the Moto Z Force Droid.

There’s also a fingerprint reader for those of you who are interested.

The entire body has an ingress protection of 68 which offers a fair amount of water and dust resistance. Should you happen to drop this phone into the shallow end of a pool, you can relax. “The device is suitable for continuous immersion in water under 1.5 meters up to 30 minutes.” You can learn more about this and MIL-STD-810G testing on LG’s Quality page.

In case you haven’t heard, the micro USB port has been replaced with one USB-C connection. I applaud this decision. Charging of the 3300 mAh battery and data transfer are done via this connection. This phone comes equipped with Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 3.0. The 3.5 mm headphone jack is located at the top right of the device.

Storage and memory are unchanged from the G5. Like other flagship mobile phones, this one incorporates 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. The phone has 32 GB of onboard memory (ROM) with support up to 2 TB. Shame there’s no option for 64 GB on board. Also, finding micro SD cards over 256 GB is a laborious task.

Front and Rear Cameras

There’s so much to discuss on the three cameras of the LG G6 that I’m not sure where to begin. In fact, it would be possible to write an article on these features alone. Let’s start with the settings.

In Photo/Video Settings, the first category you want to check out is photo size. From the eight available choices, you can select the size and aspect ratio of the photo you’re about to take. There are two options for 4:3, 16:9, 18:9, and 1:1. The photo sizes range from 2.1 MP all the way to 13 MP. It’s safe to say you’ll find one size and ratio that you’ll come to love.

Next up is the category for video resolution. Here there are six choices in UHD, FHD, and HD modes. Within FHD, there’s even one for 60 frames per second filming.

The aforementioned is followed by more than a handful of general settings:

I’ve gone through all ten of these and found all but one to be most useful. The ability to add a (copyright) signature to my photos is a big deal. The capacity to reduce motion blur in video is huge. And for all you younger readers, the Cheese shutter will come in very handy. Why hit a button when voice recognition can do it for you? Go ahead and say “Kimchi,” “Whiskey,” or “Smile” and see the results.

The second camera setting is Mode. The G6 comes with eight of these to choose from:

• Popout
• Auto
• Snap
• Panorama

• Slo-mo
• 360 Panorama
• Time-lapse
• Food

Rather than discussing all eight of these in detail, which could get boring, let’s cover a few. I highly suggest you demo these modes at a Verizon store or Best Buy.

Whether it’s a photo or video, Popout is a trip. Simply put, it’s an image within a frame. You’ve got four image choices: Fisheye, B&W, Vignette, and Lens Blur. And you can combine any-or-all of these and get very creative. There are also five frame styles which allow you to add your images in horizontal, vertical, or centered frames. One can easily get lost in all the choices.

Capturing a Panorama/360 Panorama in photo or video is plenty of fun. The LG G6 captures it well. This feature has become widely adopted commercially and popular. I dare you to take a panorama at an airport, a shopping mall, or even at a house for sale. Below is a Panorama image of my home.

The third setting is for filtering. Much like those on Snapchat, Instagram, Pixlr, and Snapseed, the G6 comes with nine active view filters. By this I mean you can see all nine at once and then choose the one you like best.

The funny thing is, I still transfer these images into Pixlr or Snapseed for even further refinement.

The fourth setting is camera swap. Switch over to the front side camera and you’ll notice sliding scale effects like skin tone, lighting, and filtering. Once you’ve captured the shot, you can then share it via social media, messaging, email, etc. I’m not much of a selfie taker, so I’ll leave this setting to all you younger folk.

We wrap up the settings with how you want to take your photos and videos. There are selections for manual, auto, and square modes. Auto mode is self-explanatory so I’ll leave this one alone. The Manual mode is a beast! If you truly want to know how to utilize the camera, always take photos and videos in Manual.

Manual Mode

Manual mode photography and video is by far the greatest feature of the LG G6 smartphone.

Taking photos in manual took me back to when I first learned how to use a Canon DSLR camera. With the exception of popout framing, all the general settings exist in manual mode.

There’s a histogram for both of the two 13 MP rear cameras. The display shows the aperture value to lessen any confusion. Next up are white balance, focus, exposure value of -2 to +2, ISO up to 3200, and an incredibly wide-ranging shutter speed. Tracking focus allows for the subject matter to come out crystal clear. There’s even an auto selection which allows for the camera to select what it believes to be the best manual shot.

I can’t begin to tell you how fun-filled this was to experiment with. Furthermore, you won’t need to purchase a starter camera, thus saving you some money as you’ll learn manual photography with this mobile phone.

4K Ultra HD Video Recording

Since more and more of us are capturing video, let me touch on the camcorder capabilities of the G6.

If you’re using the front camera, there’s an FHD camcorder. On the rear, there’s one better, the 4K UHD camcorder. Furthermore, Hi-Fi recording is a possibility.

Under the settings, there are categories for video resolution, frame rate, and eight others. Here there are seven resolution choices: one for UHD, and three each for FHD and HD modes. Depending on the selection of resolution, you can select a frame rate anywhere from 1 fps up to 120 fps. Experiment with it and you’ll see what I mean.

Additional settings include Bit rate, Hi-Fi, Timer, Steady recording, Tracking focus, Tag locations, Grid, and Help. Feel free to add one of the nine filters and flash/no flash and you’re off to the races.

Under manual video, the display fields are just like those within manual photo. Adjust the white balance, focus, exposure value, ISO, shutter speed to whatever you deem best.

The G6 has video playback up to 4K UHD, and codec support of H.264 (AVC) and H.265 (HEVC.)

Final Thoughts

Roughly a year ago, LG introduced the G5, their 2016 flagship phone. After spending millions of dollars launching the product with commercials starring actor Jason Statham, sales have been a disaster. Reviews weren’t much better. The biggest problem with this phone was its modular design. Who wants to take apart a phone? If you want a modular design, go with the Moto Z.

This year, LG went back to basics and got things right with their G6.

As I stated in the opening paragraph, I’ve gone from a reviewer to a shopper overnight. Over the past six months, after having reviewed more than a few top-tier phones for over a month each, if I could choose one to keep, it would be the LG G6. I’m thoroughly impressed with this mobile phone, and frankly, would prefer not to give it back.

This phone is an easy contender against other top-tier mobile phones from the likes of Google, Lenovo, and Samsung. In fact, we prefer the LG G6 to the Google Pixel which we believe is a toy phone and the Moto Z Droid which we happened to like very much.

The LG G6 smartphone is a welcome successor to the G5. We’ve read some comments on LG’s website from (presumed) G6 owners and haven’t encountered any of their issues on our sample.

While the G6 comes with some unnecessary bloatware, it isn’t much to concern yourselves with. Package contents include the phone, charging outlet, USB-A to USB-C cable, and micro SD slot opener.

So after everything mentioned above, I’ve got but one question for you. Is this your next smartphone?

What do you think of this ultimate LG G6 review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

Review: Moto Z Droid Smartphone

It feels like only yesterday when I purchased an unlocked Moto X Pure. Not even a year has passed from that date and we now see the latest offerings with the Moto Z moniker, this time from Lenovo. Within the Moto Z family, Verizon offers consumers the most choices: Moto Z Play Droid, Moto Z Droid, and Moto Z Force Droid. Lenovo didn’t stop there. They worked with third-party companies like Hasselblad and JBL to introduce complimentary products called Moto Mods. I had the pleasure of testing one such mod with a Moto Z Droid for a few weeks. How does the Moto Z Droid fare against its predecessor or the competition for that matter? Let’s find out in this Moto Z Droid review.

Moto Z Design and Features

As far as top-tier phones go, this model is very similar to those from Google, LG, and Samsung. All have top of the line specifications with regards to the screen, CPU, and GPU. When compared to its predecessor, the Moto X Pure, there are mostly design improvements, but a few back steps. The Moto Z is shorter in both height and width, and thinner in depth. The Moto Z is 0.91 mm thinner against the thinnest part of the Moto X Pure. If you recall, the latter has a curved back which consumers liked. The screen size has decreased from 5.7″ to 5.5″, which in my opinion is an improvement.

Among reviewers, there’s been much discussion about the placement of the Moto Z’s power and volume buttons. For you left-handed users, this won’t matter one bit, but for you right-handed users, this is where a dispute arises. First of all, the change in location is a plus from where it was on the Moto X Pure. Even though the size of the buttons has decreased, many right-handed users won’t like how their thumb rests on the volume up button. I would have preferred to have the power button up high, rather be in the third position. Anyhow, all of this discussion disappears when you use a case to protect your phone.

Most, if not all reviewers, failed to view this button placement in the following way. I use a Joby mobile phone holder (and flexible tripod) with my Moto X Pure. This allows me to take better pictures and video of Elmas the cat and my skateboarding. Because you want to balance your phone, you would place the Joby holder along the centerline of your phone. You see, on the Moto X Pure, the volume buttons are in the way, hence the problem. With the Moto Z, there’s no button interference; thus one of my biggest headaches disappears as the Joby correctly grabs the phone.

Concerning the design, the aluminum chassis is too slippery in my hands. The removable back panel adds some texture, but it isn’t enough. If you want to ensure the Moto Z stays in your hand, a protective case is a must.

More Design and Features

The display on the Moto Z is a thing of beauty. Why this AMOLED screen didn’t appear on the Moto X is a mystery, especially when it appeared on its predecessor. I, for one, am glad it’s back. Like it’s predecessor, the display contains Corning® Gorilla® Glass. The only thing missing from this Droid is Shattershield™. If you want this feature, you’ll have to pay more as it’s only available on the Moto Z Force Droid.

Just below the AMOLED display, you’ll notice the fingerprint reader.

In case you haven’t heard or noticed, the 3.5 mm headphone jack and µ USB port were replaced with one USB-C connection. While I applaud this decision, I believe this change is premature and shouldn’t have taken place until the 2017 flagship model is released. You see, there are no headphones with a USB-C connection available just yet. To get around this issue, the folks at Lenovo include a 3.5 mm to USB-C port adapter with the Moto Z. Lose that dongle and you’re screwed, that is unless you have Bluetooth headphones. Charging and data transfer are done with this connection too.

Speaking of charging, the battery size on the Moto Z is 2600 mAh. I believe this is one of those step backs I referred to earlier. If I were in the business of designing mobile phones, I wouldn’t have gone below 3000 mAh, which is what the Moto X Pure has.

If you desire more battery life, you have three options. You can upgrade to the Moto Z Force Droid which has a 3500 mAh battery, or you can purchase one of two mods: the Incipio offGRID™ power pack or the Mophie juice pack. These two mods will substantially provide extra battery life. They’ll also add weight and thickness to your device. The Incipio product has the added feature of being compatible with a wireless charging pad. It would have been nice for the Moto Z to charge wire free mod free. I believe this misstep should be corrected in the next design build.

Storage and memory have stepped up with the Moto Z. Like other flagship mobile phones, this one incorporates 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. With storage, the phone is starting with either 32 or 64 GB on board with support up to 2 TB. Unfortunately finding micro SD cards over 256 GB is a laborious task.

Built-In Camera

Now onto my favorite feature. So much has changed with the built-in camera that I’m not sure where to begin.

If you didn’t notice from the list above, the camera size has decreased to 13 MP but the aperture has increased to ƒ/1.8. The truth of the matter is this isn’t all bad news. How many of you were taking images at 21 MP with the Moto X Pure? I certainly wasn’t and part of my job description is to take photos for a living. The increased aperture on the rear camera is a plus, while the decreased aperture on the 5 MP front camera is barely noticeable.

If capturing 21 MP image is a must, then you’ll have to upgrade to the Moto Z Force Droid. It’s your only option.

With the Moto Z, we now get laser autofocus and optical image stabilization, both of which are increasingly appearing on all higher-end phones. Digital zoom has increased from 4X to 8X. Also standard is Google Photo integration. In my opinion, none of these is even the best feature. That’s reserved for ‘Professional mode.’

After activating the camera, in this case, the rear camera, touch the camera icon in the lower right corner of the screen. This action pulls up a menu consisting of the following: Photo, Video, Panorama, Slow motion, and Professional mode. The latter is most exciting. You can choose to take a photo right off the bat or you can open any of the five manual settings: Scene, White Balance, Timer, ISO (100-3200) and Exposure (-2 to +2). By adjusting any of the five settings, you can perfect your skills in the art of mobile photography.

On the main camera screen, there are icons for switching to the front camera, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Flash, and Timer. Swiping your finger to the left and right yield different results. When you initially swipe right, another menu appears. It’s in this menu where you can adjust such items as photo and video size, along with quick capture. Swiping left takes you to the images you just captured. No longer do you need to go into Photos (or Gallery) to see them. If you don’t like the picture the camera just captured, you can modify it or simply delete it. It’s a time saver for sure.

To take a screenshot, press and hold the power and volume down buttons for three seconds or until the camera shutter clicks, whichever come first. Sadly, I couldn’t get this to feature to function the way I believe it’s supposed to work. This a discussion I’ll need to have with my Verizon contact. I’ll update this post if the outcome changes.

Moto Mods

What makes the Moto Z family of phones stand out from its peers–a little something Moto Mods. Actually it’s a big deal. Roughly a year ago, LG introduced the G5, their flagship phone. After spending millions of dollars launching the product with commercials starring actor Jason Statham, sales have been a disaster. And the reviews weren’t much better. The biggest problem with LG’s design was that their phone was modular. Who wants to take apart a phone?

Lenovo took a different approach. They kept the phone intact, only allowing for the back shell to be removed. With this no-nonsense approach, Lenovo was able to reap those rewards that eluded LG. Lenovo has introduced a handful of mods, two of which have already been described above. The remaining ones are the JBL SoundBoost speaker, the Insta-Share projector, and the Hasselblad True Zoom camera. For the past few weeks, I had the pleasure of playing around with latter.

The Hasselblad True Zoom camera is quite the exciting product. With its 10x optical zoom, you’ll be able to take better, clearer photographs than before. After removing the back panel, the True Zoom mod magnetically snaps on and comes to life. With this mod, you’ll be to take photos at 12 MP and video in 1080P at 30fps.

Previously with the Moto X Pure, when you took a photo in HDR mode, you only received one JPEG image. Now, with the Hasselblad True Zoom camera mod on the Moto Z, you have the option to receive two images, JPEG and DNG, a RAW format. This added functionality comes in handy when you’re processing images in Adobe’s Photoshop.

The downside to having this mod is that it doubles the size and weight of the Moto Z. It’s a good thing that Lenovo provides a convenient carrying case for the Moto Z + True Zoom camera. It’s not only easy to carry around by hand, but it fits nicely into a back pocket or purse.

After spending $624 (or less) on the Moto Z Droid, purchasing the Hasselblad True Zoom camera mod for $299 (or less) is something you’ll have to ponder. My suggestion is to try out the camera mod at your local Verizon store, then decide.

Final Thoughts

Not only is the Moto Z Droid a worthy successor to the Moto X Pure, but it’s also a contender for your dollars against other top-tier mobile phones from the likes of Google, LG, and Samsung. Plus, no other brand has modular devices like Lenovo’s Moto Z.

While the Moto Z comes with some unnecessary bloatware, it’s easily removable. Oddly enough, the phone doesn’t come with Google Now Launcher pre-installed. Adding this should be one of the first things you do when you purchase the phone.

With CES2017 approaching, here’s hoping we see some new Moto Mods available in 2017.

What do you think of this Lenovo Moto Z Droid review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.